Broad Street Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the playgroup happily. They find their named pegs to hang up their coats and place their lunch box on the trolley. Staff greet children and their families warmly and know them all well. This enables parents to pass on relevant information to ensure that staff can support the children's needs for that day. Children are confident to explore the well-resourced playgroup, which is set up by staff with children's interests in mind. This means that children quickly engage and become focused, for example, as they play doctors together. Staff join them in their play and teach the children how to put bandages on.

Children display a strong sense of belonging and show that they feel safe and secure. For example, children sit on the lap of staff and cuddle into them, chatting away excitedly about their home life. Staff listen well, showing genuine warmth and kindness. Children develop a real interest in books. They freely choose books to read and show an interest in stories. They become engrossed as they snuggle next to staff to listen. Children eagerly point to illustrations and staff ask them what might happen next. This helps to broaden children's language development and widens the range of words they use.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff support children to develop independence skills. Staff show younger children how to use scissors when cutting paper. Older children readily wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Staff help children to understand that the soap washes off the germs. This contributes towards children's understanding of healthy habits.
• Staff support children's communication skills effectively. Staff speak slowly and clearly to children, repeating words and modelling sentences so that they hear the correct way to say them. Staff use effective questioning and allow children time to respond, which further supports their thinking and speaking skills.
• Staff are positive role models and children learn to be kind and respectful. However, staff are not always consistent in supporting children to understand what is expected of them. For example, when children play with a puzzle during circle time, staff take it away. However, another child continues to play with a pretend laptop uninterrupted.
• Staff incorporate mathematical concepts into children's play and through the playgroup routines. For example, staff support children as they count the legs on spiders. When they find a worm in the garden, staff talk to children about the length using language such as long and short. This supports children to understand number and size.
• When children first start attending playgroup, staff gather key information from parents to understand their needs and interests. This helps children to settle well. However, they do not gather enough information from the outset about what children know and can do. Currently, plans for each child's learning are not wholly effective in ensuring that children make the most progress they can.
• Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. They strengthen their hand muscles as they manipulate play dough. Staff model how to roll and pat the play dough. Outside, staff support children to develop their large muscle movements as they show them how to balance on stilts and climb safely on a giant caterpillar.
• Leaders and staff work extremely well as a team. They support each other and communicate well about how they meet the needs of the children. They reflect on their practice and have high standards of teaching. All staff are enthusiastic and greatly enjoy working at the playgroup.
• Parents speak positively about the care their children receive in the playgroup. They comment that the staff are caring and supportive and their children are happy and enjoy attending. Parents receive regular updates about their children's care and learning as staff provide detailed handovers and use an online application.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Leaders and staff use smaller next steps to support children who require additional support to make progress. There are high expectations for the learning of children with SEND. Leaders ensure that they receive the appropriate amount of one-to-one support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to manage children's behaviour in a consistent way to help children to understand what is expected of them
• improve the information gathered from parents at registration to enable staff to plan activities that are more securely based on children's existing skills and starting points.